In the kitchen

Wife and I have lived in our home, which was built in the mid-80s, for 25 years. 

Over time we have we have made changes and improvements, mostly cosmetic, although in the playroom we tore out some cabinets and installed some built-ins. But in general, lots of paint, flooring changes, bathroom overhauls and tearing down some god-awful wallpaper over the years. 

We have a nice-enough kitchen. It's not huge but it meets our needs and we have room for a decent-sized table and chairs which is a nice supplement to our dining room when we have family and/or friends here and need additional serving and/or eating space. 

The cabinets were originally a wood finish and we had them painted off-white before we moved in. We also replaced Formica countertops with granite. 

We've repainted the cabinets at least twice, but over time they looked tired, and the paint would always begin to chip. 

A couple of years ago we got a quote for a complete kitchen renovation in which we would pretty much gut all of it and start over with new cabinets and a new layout. It was cost-prohibitive to say the least. It was bonkers what it was going to cost, and there was simply no way we would do it. 

So we have continued to touch up the paint here and there and re-attach cabinet doors and drawer fronts that began to wear. 

Early in the year, we decided we could at least make some changes to brighten things up a bit without breaking the bank. Our cabinets -- the "boxes" -- were still in decent shape, so why couldn't we simply get new cabinet doors? 

Hardly anyone would even discuss that with us, and we would be told time and again we might as well get new cabinets. Unfortunately, that is a huge cost, a significant part of the entire project. 

So, we could just continue to live with what we had. 

However, Wife continued to persist and finally found a competent person whose company would do what we wanted -- install new cabinet doors, new countertops and a new backsplash. The price they came back with was quite reasonable (a fraction of the quote to renovate the entire kitchen) and to make a long story short, we have what looks in many ways like a new kitchen. They even added a foot to the length of the kitchen island, and it does not feel cramped at all. We could not be more pleased. 

We don't know how long we will stay in this house, but we will enjoy this while we are still here, and I think potential buyers will find the updated kitchen a plus. 

Before and after below: